Four tourists hurt in Phuket minibus crash

[webfact]

Four tourists hurt in Phuket minibus crash
Eakkapop Thongtub


Driver Anan Thongnak inspects the wreck of the minibus. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

PHUKET: -- Four Chinese tourists were slightly injured at 6:30 this morning (October 14) when the minibus in which they were travelling to the airport crashed off the road and ended up on its side on the central reservation of Thepkrassattree Rd.

After toppling over the bus slid on its side into a sugar palm tree, leaving it with a badly bent body.

The driver, Anan Thongnak from Nakorn Sri Thammarat, admitted that he had been working long hours and was “dizzy”.

“I do 12 trips a day. This was the first one today. Yesterday’s last one was at 2 am this morning,” he said.

Anan said he was driving from The Front Village in Karon and after he passed Wat Tha Reua [just south of the Heroines Monument] the right wheel hit the central reservation and the minibus went out of control.

The four injured tourists were named as Xiang Quam Bia, 61, Laming Lin, 61, Bin Jiajun, 25, and Hai Bo Zhong, 38. None was seriously injured and all were released after treatment at Thalang Hospital.

Mr Anan, who drives for Phuket ABC Tour, was also slightly injured. He will be questioned by police.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/four-tourists-hurt-in-phuket-minibus-crash-42333.php


-- Phuket News 2013-10-14

[JoeThePoster]

The driver, Anan Thongnak from Nakorn Sri Thammarat, admitted that he had been working long hours and was “dizzy”.

Give the guy a medal.

[steelepulse]

I guess the "brake failure" excuse couldn't be used on this accident. I take it there is no maximum behind the wheel time as there is in many countries to try to prevent fatigued drivers from hurting someone.

[NamKangMan]

The driver, Anan Thongnak from Nakorn Sri Thammarat, admitted that he had been working long hours and was “dizzy”.

Give the guy a medal.

Give the guy a drug test.

[ThaidDown]

The police should also be speaking to the drivers employer, Phucket ABC Tour, since they were the ones scheduling the trips for their employee.

[stevenl]

The police should also be speaking to the drivers employer, Phucket ABC Tour, since they were the ones scheduling the trips for their employee.

Unfortunately they won't. If a driver does not accept a schedule the company will hire somebody else who will. The same thing happens with the big buses.

The companies/employers are the real culprits, not the drivers.

[andygunther]

I wonder how many such accidents, you have to see or read before authorities impose rules on working hours for drivers

[clockman]

The only thing that matters in Thailand! Greed.

[laurentbkk]

hope full recovery to those Chinese tourists ..... As for the driver too of course but the police should question the boss of that guy for working such long hours ... safety of tourists are essential if they want to keep their business open. One more time profit is more important than safety. Just wonder when some greedy Thais will understand this concept .

[72BKK]

i am going to Poi Pet for a border run on the end of the month. I have been going by minivan all the times before and i don't know how many times i said to myself:"This is the end".

It is simply not possible to see all of those articles about bus and minivan accident every single day. It's a carnage.

Let's do something guys. Let's talk to thai authorities together as a group or a movement, or create a foreign company of bus transportation just for domestic runs. I don't know what but we expats must try to do something to stop that shit because these reckless thai friends just don't know how to manage this problem.

[rollrunna]

who hasn't seen bus and van drivers stock up with small cans of chang and the small rectangle bottles of speedy me up scotty... include government bus service too..... visa run is a 2 bottle job...

[lee b]

I wonder how many such accidents, you have to see or read before authorities impose rules on working hours for drivers

Millions.

[transam]

Oh, this is this weeks one, wonder what next weeks one will be like.

[Paangjang]

I wonder how many such accidents, you have to see or read before authorities impose rules on working hours for drivers

How long have you been here again? lol I agree. When will they introduce tacographs....

[hgma]

Note

He didn't fled the scene, but rather inspected the damage done.

[SOTIRIOS]

....are we calling it a minibus now.....and not a van......

.....12 trips a day.....

...how about fining the company....oh no...then he will be doing 13 trips a day to make up the loss....

....like I said before....foreigners are not considered people.....they are considered money......at any cost to us.....

[transam]

I wonder how many such accidents, you have to see or read before authorities impose rules on working hours for drivers

How long have you been here again? lol I agree. When will they introduce tacographs....

Tachographs will do nothing. Kid chauffeurs trying to look ''cool'' is the problem.

Unfortunately they don't realise to a farang they look like a numnut.

[Blindside]

Bring back Pot! (Not the substance) - Used to be with Mike's bikes in Chalong.

That guy could drive. Many runs with him and never felt slightly nervous. Once the clutch plate "went" - he could force it into gear under certain conditions. This happened just outside Ranong and we made it all the way to Phuket (on time!).

The best part was when we were approaching a small checkpoint outside Ranong, he slowed down, leaned out of the window and started shouting to the cops that he could not stop, one of the cops "jogged" next to us and conferred and then waved us on. Too good!

The current situation is no good though, people will die and no one will take responsibility. Not sure how Thailand wants to combat Zero baht tourism especially with the Chinese when mini-bus drivers are rolling vans and taxi drivers are molesting passengers.

[geezer2]

China wont be happy..hopefully china say thailand do..as they dont listen to UK or Aus..

[stevenl]

....are we calling it a minibus now.....and not a van......

 

.....12 trips a day.....

 

...how about fining the company....oh no...then he will be doing 13 trips a day to make up the loss....

 

....like I said before....foreigners are not considered people.....they are considered money......at any cost to us.....

Have you seen the way the minibuses from one destination in Bangkok to the other drive? And those are nearly exclusively for Thai.

Sent from my D90W using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[stevenl]

 

I wonder how many such accidents, you have to see or read before authorities impose rules on working hours for drivers

 

How long have you been here again? lol I agree. When will they introduce tacographs....

 

 

Tachographs will do nothing. Kid chauffeurs trying to look ''cool'' is the problem.  

 

Unfortunately they don't realise to a farang they look like a numnut.

No, the schedule is the problem.

Sent from my D90W using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[irishsmile]

Here we go yet again......... Wake up Thailand ......... Before the tourists wise up and abandon the land do lunacy for good!

[Baloo22]

I opened the link and read the article on Phuket News. Right next to the article they have a column "Recent Comments". In that column some cat was advising (on a different article) "Or if travelling alone, hop on a van for 150 baht. It's not much more than the bus, and can drop you at your hotel."

Or "drop you" all piled together on the side of the road! I guess you would call that advice giver "Amazing Falang in Amazing Thailand"

[Baloo22]

I wonder how many such accidents, you have to see or read before authorities impose rules on working hours for drivers

You do realize, of course, that if such rules were ever imposed; all it would do is increase the bribe-taking opportunities for Thai police and other government functionaries. Most of the problems here of this nature are not caused by any lack of a law or regulation. It's the almost total lack of enforcement of laws/regulations and endemic corruption.